MH-230 cLOUDDEAD - TenTen finds cLOUDDEAD building on all of the elements that defined their debut: razor sharp vocal interplay, quirky found sound samples, ambient drone dreamscapes, lyrics that walk the line between observational and confessional, and a fair share of nosdam drums slowed to a growl. Doseone and why? never take the cheap way out. Their lyrics may range from blurry and buried to sharp and surfaced, but each and every line has meaning. The music and production are collaborative, featuring Doseone's knack for bottling emotion, why's self-taught multi-instrumentalist efforts, and odd nosdam's flair for borrowed genius. Individually, Doseone, why? and odd nosdam are as prolific and fearless as anyone in today's new music scene, but together as cLOUDDEAD they are able to create music that captures all of the promise of their individual talents in an unequaled sound.

Named, somewhat appropriately, after a meaningless knock-knock joke told by the younger sister of one of the band members, cLOUDDEAD's not-quite-skiffle-hop collages and skits sound on first listen like one big stoner indulgence. Persevere, though, and you realize this is very clever indeed. Now based in Oakland, California, this trio (beatmaster odd nosdam and lyricists Doseone and why?) forge something genuinely original with their wigged-out word play. Whether singing about gun culture or Minnie Mouse, everything they do is infused with an undeniable, albeit sometimes unfathomable, psychedelic spirit. Don't forget to leave the hidden track running. - Uncut